'Fore'-year scholarships to Ohio State: Two Columbus-area caddies earn Chick Evans awards
Ryder Wilson and Sam Martin aren’t afraid to admit they’re far from devoted golfers. Among central Ohio high school seniors, however, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more passionate about the game.
As caddies who attend Hilliard Davidson and St. Charles, respectively, they have learned golf can take you places if you have the drive.
Wilson and Martin were introduced to the intricacies of the sport through the caddie program at Scioto Country Club. That has led to each receiving a Chick Evans Scholarship, a four-year college housing and tuition grant for caddies worth an estimated $125,000.
Both will attend Ohio State in the fall.
“When I was told about Ryder and Sam this year, I cried,” said Jason Dick, the director of player services and a member of the scholarship committee at Scioto. “Not only is it a lot of work for me — I take that out of it — it’s the hard work and perseverance that they have shown over the years. They’ve continued to grow not only as a caddie, but as good young men.”
Twenty-four students who caddie in Ohio have been awarded the scholarship this school year, with most expected to attend Ohio State or Miami University. About 325 nationwide are expected to earn the honor, which dates to 1930 and is the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.
The selection criteria for the scholarships, which are funded by the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation, are a strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need and outstanding character.
Wilson’s father, Brian, introduced him to the caddie program through Dick, a longtime family friend. Wilson said the scholarship is a credit to his father, a chef in Columbus who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident when his son was 4 years old.
“My dad has given me the work ethic that I have,” Wilson said. “Seeing him after his accident and being able to recover and get right back into the normal swing of life and return to work and just keep his head up has really inspired me. It’s taught me never to take anything for granted.”
Wilson, an attacker on the Davidson boys lacrosse team, became a caddie as a freshman in hopes of earning the scholarship and taking the financial burden of college off his parents.
“I would have never believed that this (scholarship) would happen,” said Wilson, who plans to study finance and information systems at Ohio State. “I made it a goal. This has been so great, really unbelievable.”
Wilson has caddied for several local celebrities, including former Blue Jackets winger Cam Atkinson, who now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Wilson and Martin both take pride in golfers asking them for advice. “Sometimes they ask me and if I get a read right, that’s really cool,” Martin said.
Both have the opportunity to play the course, but have limited time because of busy schedules.
Martin, who lives in Westerville and is a long-stick midfielder on the St. Charles lacrosse team, said the caddie program has been an eye-opener.
“I’ve met a lot of different people and learned a lot of different things about life,” he said. “I’ve also learned about hard work.”
Martin, who will major in business, was introduced to the program as a freshman when Dick visited St. Charles.
“When I go to schools and talk about the scholarship and caddie program, one of the greatest reasons for having a summer job as a caddie is you learn to communicate with adults,” Dick said. “For a lot of kids that is just intimidating. Talking with people and being on the golf course for four, four and a half hours with somebody you don’t know and you’re forced to interact, that changes a kid pretty quickly.”
The program is open to students beginning at age 14. About 100 boys and girls 14-18 and about 60 age 19 and older are in the program, Dick said.
Scioto awarded its first Chick Evans Scholarship in 1966 and now has presented 28 awards. The selections are made by a committee based in Chicago, with interviews held in Ohio.
“All these kids are super special to me because they’re all unique in their own way,” Dick said. “They all have a different story that they’ve had to tell, and they’ve had to persevere through (challenges).”
According to the Evans Scholars Foundation, a record 1,100 caddies are enrolled in 22 universities around the country. More than 11,800 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr.
“It doesn’t get better than being outside and you make great connections, and you develop a lot of great skills like communicating with adults,” Wilson said. “It beats out any other (summer) job like being inside all day.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two Columbus caddies earn Evans Scholarships for Ohio State
